In Rome, during the reign of Arcadius and Honorius, there lived a pious man named Euphemian, a noble and wealthy dignitary, who, despite his riches, suffered from the barrenness of his wife Aglaida. She, praying to God for a son, gave birth to Alexius, who from a young age aspired to a spiritual life. When Alexius reached adulthood, his parents betrothed him, but he, wishing to renounce worldly goods, secretly left home, taking a vow of poverty and fasting.
Saint Alexius went to Edessa, where he lived on alms and fasting, and then, by God's will, returned to Rome, where he lived in his parents' house without revealing his name. He endured humiliations from the servants but remained faithful to God. After seventeen years of living in poverty, Saint Alexius surrendered his soul to God, leaving a letter in which he explained his actions to his parents and fiancée.
After his death, his parents and fiancée learned of his true life and mourned his sufferings. His body was found, and many miracles occurred from his relics, healing the sick and freeing the possessed. Saint Alexius reposed on March 17, 411, and his relics were buried with honor, becoming an object of veneration and healings.
